Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: SAM E. STEPHENS on January 25, 2015, 10:51:00 PM
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Got to go spend a few days at a friend's place and hunt some exotics and hogs ( all free range ) with my Hill bow and back quiver full of wood arrows. We drove up Friday and it was snowing when we got there and that is something that does not happen very often in the Texas hill country. Soon as we got settled in the cabin we headed out for some scouting and very quickly saw some some axis and a big group of Aoudad. We ended up sitting in stands that evening and had Aoudad and hogs walk past but no shots but was a good time in the woods. The rest of the trip I spent stalking the several thousand acres I would be willing to bet I walked 25 plus miles in the few days we hunted. We all slept in that next morning ( the hard core hunters we are ) then had a big late breakfast for lunch. After filling up my belly I put the boot leather down and went exploring parts of the ranch that were new to me and ended up seeing some hogs but could never get a shot. The snow didn't last but a few hours and all melted away so with the rain and cool temps we hunted in the mud the entire time so the ground was nice and quiet for stalking. Also had a good north northwest wind the entire time and the sun broke out on the second day and never left. Four of us were hunting and between us we saw sika , fallow , axis , hogs , aoudad , turkey , whitetail and lots rabbits and squirrel. So far we were doing good with seeing game just no arrows in the air yet.....
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I bet that is about to change. Keep it coming, Charlie.
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Sounds like a good time, good luck!
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Go get em sam I am sure there will be something on the meatpole soon!
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The only pics I got of the snow was out of the truck window it had just about all melted by the time we had our gear unpacked. My buddy put down a big boar with his open sight lever gun ( hand injury and could not pull his recurve ) nice big spotted one with big cutters. We had to come home today so I was up before daylight with a plan for a long hike into some new ground , everyone else slept in again but I told them about my planned route so they could pick me up after lunch time. I left the cabin on foot and started my hunt at daylight , the ground was covered in frost but I was feeling good in my wool plaid shirt. I hiked up into the cliffs in hopes of running into an aoudad or a hog or well any thing legal for that matter. And as luck would have it I had several whitetail stroll within easy bow shot and one was a nice buck and whitetail season ended last week. After getting out of the cliffs and down on somewhat leveler ground at about 9am I was sitting down figuring out my next move when I looked up about 75yds out was a bit of brown that was moving my way. I went into hunter mode with my plaid shirt and no camo and back quiver just about in the wide open with bright sunshine but I did have one nice bush to hide behind. Before I knew it I made it to 22yds and had the critter quartered away when I hit full draw but it was a spike sika buck and I never dropped the string so he could do some more growing up.....
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(http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac45/samstephens71/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/56595940-5D13-4AD0-A286-4718A21E26E6_zpsx2mluitk.jpg) (http://s884.photobucket.com/user/samstephens71/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/56595940-5D13-4AD0-A286-4718A21E26E6_zpsx2mluitk.jpg.html)
The snow out the truck window
(http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac45/samstephens71/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/B377BD8F-61B6-4C31-A6C5-6406A0A0E68F_zpsgcem4tss.jpg) (http://s884.photobucket.com/user/samstephens71/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/B377BD8F-61B6-4C31-A6C5-6406A0A0E68F_zpsgcem4tss.jpg.html)
Big rough country
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This ranch is located in some pretty rough country choked with thick draws a few small creeks and one river. And is loaded with game and I am one lucky fellow to have the friends I do and to have the opportunity to hunt on the places I do and with the guys I hunt with it just don't get any better. So now's it's getting on about 10am so I head down into a creek bed and stalk along and smooth miss a giant squirrel two times in a row ( stupid squirrel ). I stalk the low lands for a few hours an see some deer and you can't walk more than a dozen steps and not see hog sign , looped back to about half a mile for where I stalked the young sika and sat down for a break. While sitting and thinking about how much I am getting into the Howard Hill bows , back quivers , wood arrows and not been using any camo for last month , has been the most fun I have had hunting with a bow in many many years. I sat looking up a long draw at high noon warming up in the bright Sun shine and about 400yds up at the head out comes about 15 hogs out of the thick brush into the open and start rooting the soft ground. Off to have fun I go , I got on the high left side in the trees and made for them , the wind was strong and was blowing up the hill in a good cross wind on em. I got above them and slid down and then back up and they were still there but starting to move away and I was out in the open and was going to get no closer. One offered me a shot at just over 30yds or so so I sent a cedar arrow off and it hit low in the chest , the hog hit the ground spinning and squealing then it was up and running. I had another arrow on the string and hit it again at about 60yds on the run , that shot hit through the hams but that is ok with me ( once I hit an animal I will send arrows until I know it's down ).
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(http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac45/samstephens71/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/0C91F177-9804-4556-9310-C4A651C939DC_zpsdvnsisa9.jpg) (http://s884.photobucket.com/user/samstephens71/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/0C91F177-9804-4556-9310-C4A651C939DC_zpsdvnsisa9.jpg.html)
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Turns out the first arrow would have been enough it looked like it had hit lower than it did but was indeed a good shot. When in doubt I will shoot arrows as a insurance policy to put an animal down quickly. And even with two arrows she made it about 100yds before going down , she was a old long and lean sow. I guess I'm hung up on these Hill bows and wood arrows but I need new arrows cause I'm going through the ones I have fast. It was a great hunt with some of my best friends can't ask for no more than that.....Would have never thought I would have stalked hogs at High Noon.....
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(http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac45/samstephens71/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/BAFC9CAB-721B-4AC2-9A55-5C7BAD91151C_zps4xp6i10k.jpg) (http://s884.photobucket.com/user/samstephens71/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/BAFC9CAB-721B-4AC2-9A55-5C7BAD91151C_zps4xp6i10k.jpg.html)
(http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac45/samstephens71/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/E316FFEB-4D04-4F58-92DE-0C3F65E1A9C0_zps6a1s0o9x.jpg) (http://s884.photobucket.com/user/samstephens71/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/E316FFEB-4D04-4F58-92DE-0C3F65E1A9C0_zps6a1s0o9x.jpg.html)
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This pic shows the a better view of the land we are hunting...
(http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac45/samstephens71/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/0EF135AC-1678-4C6C-A220-A483FF582FBB_zpsmrvq4tzr.jpg) (http://s884.photobucket.com/user/samstephens71/media/Mobile%20Uploads/2015-01/0EF135AC-1678-4C6C-A220-A483FF582FBB_zpsmrvq4tzr.jpg.html)
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Sam...you are a killin machine!! Congrats again brother!
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Well done Sam.
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congrats awesome shot
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See I told ya ...something on the meatpole AGAIN!!! :clapper: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:Your on a roll way to get it done man!
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Awesome! Thanks for sharing!!! :thumbsup:
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Nice Hog...thanks for sharing the hunt..... :thumbsup:
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Went hunting in Texas a few years back, a little South and east of the hill country, I think it has some of the best stalking bush I have ever hunted in. In broad daylight I was able to stalk up to within 5-7 yds of a nice whitetail buck, only problem was not being too familiar with the area and colors of things,I thought he was a rock :banghead: , but that is some beautiful country to hunt in.
Good story and excellent shooting !
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Good shootin, Sam! :thumbsup:
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Sweet man! Good for you!
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Looks like a great time. Thanks for sharing.
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Way to Go Sam. That's a nice looking hog.
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:thumbsup: :archer:
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Great work Sam! Now get out that crock pot.
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Love the stories, nice shooting
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Congrats Sam! I was down in TX for 5 days last week trying to find a hog and never even saw one. I saw a lot of axis deer and one Aoudad but the brush was to thick to take a shot. Very cool country down there in the TX hills. I hope to make an annual trip down there. Congrats again!
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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great job , congrats :thumbsup:
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Awesome Bow
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Thats great!
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Very cool, congrats!!'
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:thumbsup: :clapper: :archer2:
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Way to go Sam. I am surprised that EARS did not hear you, that rascal has some big ears. :bigsmyl:
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Congrats! Great to read some hunting tales while a blizzard rages outside
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That's some fine shooting! Looks like you're a Hill convert now.
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Killin' machine! Congrats!
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Good tale, well told. Burst out laughing at the "hardcore hunters" and "stupid squirrel" comments.
Nice to hear that you really appreciate the friends and hunting grounds. You are a lucky man.
Thanks for sharing.
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Congratulations! Looks like a great time. Nice hog!
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Good job Sam! What wool are you wearing?
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I have the best friends anyone could ever ask for just about every week we are hunting or fishing and we all share our hunting grounds and fishing holes. It makes a new adventure every time we hit the woods and water , I would give the shirt off my back for anyone of them at the drop of a hat. And it helps that we all take our hunting and sleeping in very seriously....
That day I started out wearing several layers of wool , old woolrich shirt then a nice old heavy Pendleton wool coat. As the day wore on these were shed as it warmed up and got down to just the shirt..the shirt I got at a thrift shop and the coat was a gift from my in-laws...
,,,,Sam,,,,
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Good hunt Sam! Thanks for sharing it!
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Great story and good shooting. Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:
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Nice colored Hog!
Congrats!!! :bigsmyl:
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Well done Sam, great looking country and compared with this area lots of game and long seasons. :archer: